great.. annoying... great

Rating: Null/10 (4 May 2007)

So many reasons to love this movie, and so many reason to hate it...
First of all - the concept is great. Full-on apocalypse, decent attempt to provide some topical justification for the infection, reasonable cause and effect in the main story. But only up to a point. Because, try as I might to run with this film, I just keep tripping over puzzling directorial and script decisions. Over and over again - about every five minutes - there's something in this movie that just makes you go - "Hold on, that doesn't make sense?!"
Just a few examples (so many to choose from!):

Why does Cillian Murphy run through the house shouting "WE HAVE TO LEAVE!!!" at the top of his voice? Er - dude, whispering would make more sense! But no, someone has deemed that it would be more exciting and cinematic to have them running around shouting at the top of their voices. Makes no sense. I'm starting to lose interest.

Why park the taxi so far from the petrol tanker? Why not drive up close, keep everyone together, and FILL UP THE TANK OF THE TAXI ITSELF!!??? Rather than just a can? Oh yeah - so we could get a pointless couple of shots of the girl doing a handbrake turn. Right.

Why does Cillian Murphy (in ridiculous "terminator" mode) set free the infected guy in the yard (cutting the chain with totally implausible blast of machine gun fire) when he's just as likely to attack the girls as he is to get the soldiers?

Is it really feasible that the young girl driving the taxi MEANT to reverse the cab up to the infected guy so he would then smash through the rear window, grab the bad major and kill him? JUMP THE SHARK, JUMP THE SHARK, JUMP THE SHARK!!!! Insulting to the audience. A Jackie Chan/Sammo Hung fight sequence has more credibility.

You see - it's just a slow decline from a great premise and a dynamite first 20 minutes to an ending that can't come too soon. There's so much to love - the DV camera work, the stark lighting, the great angles, the nutty details like the girls in ball dresses in a rain drenched manor house while mayhem erupts around them, a main character who is spaced out on Valium during said mayhem, the sequences in silent, dead London, the blood puking, the basic attempt to make a gritty original SF horror action movie that pulls no punches etc etc.
Like I said, there are so many reasons to love this movie. But I can't - it annoys me, there's always the feeling that the makers are saying - "Yeah, OK, this bit doesn't make sense but no one will notice because it looks cool!" Nah - it doesn't make sense, and it's annoying.
Having said all that, to be honest, I'd recommend that anyone interested in the genre would see 28 Days Later. Just prepare to be irritated.
But... as it happens I have seen 28 Weeks Later, and it's a much better movie. It rocks! AND, it more or less makes sense! You see? You CAN have your cake and eat it.